Latest news with #SudiptaMitra
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
City hospitals pad up to guard against infection
Kolkata: Personal protective equipment, or PPEs, the full-body uniform complete with gloves and mask that doctors and health workers wore during the pandemic to prevent infection spread, have made a return at some private hospitals that now have Covid patients admitted. At least three hospitals have armed their health workers with the full protective gear and have appointed nurses who attend only to Covid patients. One of the hospitals has even decided to levy an extra charge for the protective gear. Even though the current strain has so far triggered mild infections, it could be dangerous for the elderly with comorbidities, and children, doctors said. Peerless Hospital now has two Covid patients — a 15-year-old boy and a 72-year-old man— who are kept in separate single-bed rooms in an isolated area. "Two nurses are attending to each, and they wear full PPE. They are not attending to other patients. Doctors, too, are wearing protective gear while attending to Covid patients, though, unlike the pandemic time, they are attending to other patients as well," said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra. Peerless Hospital had PPEs in stock, said Mitra, adding: "Since this involves extra cost, we have decided to charge Rs 200-Rs 250 a day for the gear. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo The Covid-time price curbs don't apply now." RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), which has one Covid patient, has given PPEs to doctors and nurses attending to Covid patients. "We are using a version that has no face shield but a mask," said RTIICS intensivist Sauren Panja. Manipal Hospitals, which have maintained adequate stockpiles of PPE and other essential safety supplies as part of a standard preparedness protocol, now has four Covid patients. "Our healthcare workers are fully equipped to handle Covid cases, including the use of appropriate protective gear. We have also reinstated RT-PCR testing facilities across our hospitals. While testing was scaled down after the pandemic, our diagnostic teams have maintained the readiness to resume testing at short notice," said Tanmay Banerjee, senior consultant and director of critical care, Medica Superspeciality Hospital, a part of Manipal Hospitals. Ruby General Hospital tested two Covid positives in the last week and admitted one. "Nurses attending to them wear a protective gown used during the pandemic. Doctors will wear masks but not PPEs unless numbers rise," said Ruby Hospital general manager - operations Subhashish Datta. BP Poddar Hospital has an adequate inventory of N95 masks, gowns, gloves, face shields, and PPE kits. Healthcare workers at Desun Hospital have been provided protective gear to attend to Covid patients. "We maintain a robust stock of all essential protective equipment to ensure the safety of our patients," said Shaoli Dutta, group director, Desun Hospital.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
With cases rising elsewhere, 3 Kol hospitals revive Covid safety steps
Kolkata: At least three private hospitals in Kolkata have revived Covid precautions in the wake of an outbreak in Southeast Asia and the detection of cases in Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Although almost no Covid case has been detected in Kolkata hospitals since last Dec, some have started collecting the travel history of those with symptoms and have recommended use of masks and sanitisers. Two hospitals have set aside isolation wards. BP Poddar Hospital has reintroduced several precautionary measures to ensure safety of patients, visitors, and healthcare staff. "We have reinstated our isolation ward, where we are planning to keep patients with a history of domestic or international travel, who have fever. They are being kept under observation where further treatment is carried out according to protocol," said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group advisor, BP Poddar Hospital. At the hospital's fever clinic, strict hygiene protocols have been revived, including the use of masks, hand sanitisers, and regular sanitisation of the premises. At Peerless Hospital, a two-bed isolation ward has been set aside for patients with Covid symptoms. "So far, we have not received any suspect. In case there is a surge, we will convert an entire ward overnight," said CEO Sudipta Mitra. Although Peerless is yet to begin screening patients with symptoms, it plans to identify those with a travel history to Southeast Asia. "We have not had a single Covid-positive patient since last Sept. Over the last week, we tested two non-Covid coronavirus positives. These are old strains, like 229E and OC 43. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We are ready to revive Covid-19 tests, though," said Peerless Hospital chief microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri. He added that the Jn1 strain currently in circulation was unlikely to trigger a severe disease since most have received two-three vaccinations and have developed immunity. Woodlands Hospital has revived use of sanitisers and started a campaign on hand hygiene. "We are keeping an eye on the situation," said CEO Rupak Barua. Charnock Hospital has received a few Covid-19 cases over the last month, though they have been mild and affected those with lower immunity, said Charnock pulmonologist Soumya Sengupta. "The new strain should not be more potent than the one that struck in the third wave. But we need to be careful since any viral infection could spread fast," Sengupta said. "At RN Tagore Hospital, we have isolation beds in the emergency, in the critical care areas, and in the wards. All infectious disease patients are isolated. We are following stringent protocols in all procedural areas to minimise the risk of cross infection during invasive procedures," said R Venkatesh, COO, Narayana Hospitals.
